No salary increases for two years, smaller lineups, a playoff
format change and a lowering of the age at which players can become
unrestricted free agents are all part of a new seven-year
collective bargaining agreement announced by the National Lacrosse
League and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association on
Tuesday.

Commissioner George Daniel called it ''an historic day'' and
association president Peter Schmitz said opting to co-operate in
helping to curb team expenses was done ''without diminishing the
product.''

The majority of the nine teams lost money last season. The
previous CBA also was for seven years.

Salaries stay the same for the first two years: rookies get
$9,207, the maximum for veterans stays at $27,2177, and those given
a franchise player tag by teams can earn $33,971. A cost of living
increase of 3.5 per cent annually begins in 2016.

Daniel said the NLL ''needed to make some changes to our
business model'' to make investing in an NLL franchise more
attractive for future franchise bidders.

''We laid out where we felt we needed to make some changes and
the players listened,'' he said. ''Everybody wants to cut a bigger
piece of the pie but everybody recognized that the pie has to get
bigger.''

After analysing teams' finances, the PLPA apparently agreed that
a non-rancorous set of negotiations was appropriate.

''I applaud the players for their willingness to assist the
clubs in stabilizing expenses for the next two years with the hope
that they and the league are rewarded with growth and expanded
awareness of our great sport,'' said Schmitz.

Roster size was the association's major concession, but
unrestricted free agency at age 30 rather than the previous 32 is a
PLPA win. Players also gained ground on game-day per diems and some
other travel expenses.

Division finals and the title game become two-game series, with
a 10-minute mini-game to be played if the two games are split,
rather than the single-game elimination as in the past.

''We're all pretty happy that a deal has been struck,'' said
Toronto Rock forward Garrett Billings.

''It's great to have the deal done,'' said Minnesota Swarm
transition player and captain Andrew Suitor.

Smaller lineups will discourage teams from carrying
one-dimensional players such as enforcers.

''It's not really a huge adjustment from offensive side,'' said
Billings. ''On the defensive side, those guys are going to be
sucking wind. But I don't think it's going to be a huge
adjustment.''

Team training sessions begin in November.

''It's going to be really tough to make a team,'' said Billings.
''But it's going to make for entertaining lacrosse.''

Adds Suitor: ''You're going to have to keep yourself in top
shape and be prepared to play more minutes.''

Reducing rosters was painful, said Daniel, ''but that's the most
effective way for us to reduce costs. That really became the big
one for us, reducing the roster size.

''But we've improved the business model in hope we can make the
NLL franchise model more attractive for future expansion. Then
we'll get those jobs back, when we get future expansion down the
road.''

Daniels said he has no timetable for expansion.

''It would be great to bring some new markets into the league,''
he said. ''Also, we're interested in coming back to the New York
market . . . and all of the major Canadian markets we're not in
already. There's nothing at this point . . . because until the CBA
was finished everything was pretty premature.''

There will be a luxury tax on team payrolls over $400,000. If a
team spends $410,000 on payroll, for instance, that team would be
taxed 25 per cent on the $10,000 they were over, equalling a fine
of $2,500.

Any player given a franchise tag in the previous CBA -- a
maximum of two per team could be so designated -- were bound to
remain with their team but the new CBA -- reducing to one the
number of franchise players per team -- allows those 34 or older to
decline and leave. With the luxury tax, don't expect big names to
jump ship to get huge contracts because NLL teams don't have the
millions to throw around.